“Rigor mortis.” Siem said.
“I bet you he cannot get up from there. Not without difficulty.” Eldana said.
“I agree,” Siem said. “Plus we will be there with you, just in case.”
“Thank you,” Eldana said.
Eldana looked at Fraweyni, and their eyes met. Fraweyni gave her a nod of encouragement.
The globe of light hovering over the orc, illuminating his form and grotesque looks. His eyes had milked over. Suddenly there was a few popping, and cracking sounds coming from the orc. Eldana eyed it, and could not help feeling a wave of horror wash over her, as the orc’s lips spread with difficulty into a smile.
“Hello, my girl.” The orc said. “It is nice to see you again.”
Eldana felt her heart lurch, and then all the hurt she had tried to suppress rose again. There was only one person who addressed her this way.
“Sinto?” Eldana asked. Her voice broke.
The orc smiled wider. “I cannot tell you how glad I am that you even still remember me.” the Sinto/Orc said.
“How could I forget you?” Eldana asked. “You trained me, practically raised me, positioned yourself as my friend, and then tried to kill me. Is that something anyone should be forgetting too soon?”
“Ah, you must be annoyed about last time. And I am sorry about that. You see, the intention was to bring you in. But then things went out of hand, and I apologize for that.”
“What do you want?” Eldana questioned, her voice cold and hard.
“For you to stop being selfish for once.”
Eldana scoffed. “Me? Selfish? You call me not wanting to die in the hands of gods who rule Toas like they are rearing sheep, selfish? I thought you were smarter than this.”
The orc was silent for more than two heartbeats, and then it spoke again.
“While you have been hiding in the safety of the Ciroc, Eldana. The rest of the world has been tearing itself to shreds. The entire kingdoms in Toas are snapping at each other’s throats, and to think that you hold the key to long-lasting peace in your hands.”
“If you are so concerned about peace, then why are you trying to capture me?” Eldana asked. “It is peace that I am after, too.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I am after the peace that does not involve people getting raised for slaughter every 100 years! Beings of Balance and Chaos are living beings too. We deserve to live,” Eldana hissed.
“Is that what these losers you have for friends have told you? Is that what they have gotten into your head?”
Eldana laughed.
“You never had friends, Sinto. I was the only friend you ever had. So, you do not know what it means. When you die, you will die sad, and lonely, and pitifully.”
Suddenly the orc’s voice changed to a very aggressive one.
“You foolish child!” the orc roared.
Eldana recoiled in shock.
“That is not Sinto.” She said, comprehension dawning on her.
“Then who is it?” Hermon asked.
“Lord Taboon.” Mikko said suddenly, his voice echoing through the clearing.
The orc grew silent and smiled.
“Ah, I see this is what you have come to, my boy.” The orc said. “My Mikko, associating himself with outlaws, and fugitives.” The orc hissed. “You are wasting your talent out here!”
“No.” Mikko cried defiantly. “I am not.”
The orc tsk tsk-ed. Its neck could hardly move.
“You have picked the losing side, boy,” the Lord Taboon-Orc said. “As for you, Eldana. Know that you cannot run far enough. I’ll have you sacrificed, and peace restored to Toas. By the gods, I will. Not even Sinto can stop me.”
“What did you do to him?” Eldana asked.
The orc smiled.
“Ah, so you still care for him?” he taunted. “Well, your old teacher is still alive, but I suspected for a long while that his misbegotten affection for you was getting in the way of his job. His assistant is more eager to see that you are brought back, and the right thing is done. You and your friends seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth after you had left the Middle Kingdom. But I always suspected that Sinto had the means to find you. I was right. Tabeli had someone follow Sinto to where he went to get a locator spell, and when your location was revealed, Tabeli got the information and relayed it to me. And now, here we are!”
Eldana stared with rage at the orc. She wished badly that Lord Taboon was present so she could make him suffer in the worst way possible.
“As it stands”, Lord Taboon continued, “there are only two paths open before you, in which you both die, but one for the greater good…”
“The greater good, being what?” Eldana questioned.
“You are sacrificed to Camin and Lowus, of course, and peace is restored to the world.”
“You said there are two paths before her? Speak, vile sorcerer!” D’rmas demanded.
The orc smiled gruesomely. “A free warrior.” He mused. “How I love your guts. You would make a nice experiment in my chambers. Maybe if your friend, Eldana, makes the wrong choice, I will get my wish with you.”
Facing Eldana, Lord Taboon continued: “First, you surrender and come to us peacefully, and of your own will. There is a delegation waiting for you just within the outskirts of the Ciroc, who will escort you hospitably back.”
“That is never happening,” Siem said sternly.
The orc smiled again. “The second path”, he continued, “is that you refuse, and we are forced to come to apprehend you. You know what that means, that those around you, whom you care about like your friends, and the elves who are harboring you will get hurt.”
Eldana knew now how the orcs had come at the elves without their knowledge. They had help, the bumbling fools. Lord Taboon used them for his own desires.
“I do wish you pick the second choice though. I have never had an elf for my experiments. This would be a wonderful opportunity to have one!”
Suddenly the breeze around the clearing
